Tags

Type your tag names separated by a space and hit enter

The role of alcohol in accident and violent deaths in Finland.
Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2001 Nov; 25(11):1654-61.AC

Abstract

BACKGROUND

In Finland, the high rates of forensic autopsy and postmortem toxicology furnish a reliable base for nation-wide studies on alcohol-related violent deaths.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

National mortality and population data within Finland, from 1987 to 1996, were used to analyze sex- and age-specific rates, proportions, and trends of violent deaths associated with alcohol. Deaths were defined as alcohol-related when alcohol was certified as a contributing factor to death.

RESULTS

During the study period, 10,360 (23.3%) of the 45,544 violent deaths that occurred were alcohol-related. Among 15- to 64-year-olds, 28.6% of accidents, 30.5% of suicides, and 55.3% of homicides were associated with alcohol (alcohol-positive). Differences in epidemiologic patterns and trends for different types of violent death were observed between sexes and age groups. For instance, alcohol-positive accidents significantly decreased in males (-2.3%/year; CL95: -3.3, -1.2; p < 0.001), but not in females (+0.5%/year; CL95: -2.7, +3.7; p = 0.772), and alcohol-positive suicides increased slightly in females (+3.9%/year; CL95: +0.0, +7.9; p = 0.047), but not in males (-0.2%/year, CL95: -1.4, +1.0; p = 0.704).

CONCLUSIONS

The victims of violent deaths have often consumed or abused alcohol before the fatal events. Especially in young adults, consumption of alcohol is likely one of the most serious risk factors in accidents and may decrease the threshold for suicide ideation and impulsive behaviors. Studies that explore the effects of sociodemographic and health factors on random populations with relevant control data will increase the understanding of the causal connection between alcohol and violent deaths.

Links

Aggregator Full Text

Authors+Show Affiliations

Lunetta P
Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland. philippe.lunetta@helsinki.fi
Penttilä A
No affiliation info available
Sarna S
No affiliation info available

MeSH

AccidentsAdolescentAdultCause of DeathEthanolFemaleFinlandHomicideHumansMaleMiddle AgedPoisson DistributionSex FactorsSuicideViolence

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article

Language

eng

PubMed ID

11707640

Citation

Lunetta, P, et al. "The Role of Alcohol in Accident and Violent Deaths in Finland." Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research, vol. 25, no. 11, 2001, pp. 1654-61.
Lunetta P, Penttilä A, Sarna S. The role of alcohol in accident and violent deaths in Finland. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2001;25(11):1654-61.
Lunetta, P., Penttilä, A., & Sarna, S. (2001). The role of alcohol in accident and violent deaths in Finland. Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research, 25(11), 1654-61.
Lunetta P, Penttilä A, Sarna S. The Role of Alcohol in Accident and Violent Deaths in Finland. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2001;25(11):1654-61. PubMed PMID: 11707640.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - JOUR T1 - The role of alcohol in accident and violent deaths in Finland. AU - Lunetta,P, AU - Penttilä,A, AU - Sarna,S, PY - 2001/11/15/pubmed PY - 2002/1/18/medline PY - 2001/11/15/entrez SP - 1654 EP - 61 JF - Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research JO - Alcohol Clin Exp Res VL - 25 IS - 11 N2 - BACKGROUND: In Finland, the high rates of forensic autopsy and postmortem toxicology furnish a reliable base for nation-wide studies on alcohol-related violent deaths. MATERIAL AND METHODS: National mortality and population data within Finland, from 1987 to 1996, were used to analyze sex- and age-specific rates, proportions, and trends of violent deaths associated with alcohol. Deaths were defined as alcohol-related when alcohol was certified as a contributing factor to death. RESULTS: During the study period, 10,360 (23.3%) of the 45,544 violent deaths that occurred were alcohol-related. Among 15- to 64-year-olds, 28.6% of accidents, 30.5% of suicides, and 55.3% of homicides were associated with alcohol (alcohol-positive). Differences in epidemiologic patterns and trends for different types of violent death were observed between sexes and age groups. For instance, alcohol-positive accidents significantly decreased in males (-2.3%/year; CL95: -3.3, -1.2; p < 0.001), but not in females (+0.5%/year; CL95: -2.7, +3.7; p = 0.772), and alcohol-positive suicides increased slightly in females (+3.9%/year; CL95: +0.0, +7.9; p = 0.047), but not in males (-0.2%/year, CL95: -1.4, +1.0; p = 0.704). CONCLUSIONS: The victims of violent deaths have often consumed or abused alcohol before the fatal events. Especially in young adults, consumption of alcohol is likely one of the most serious risk factors in accidents and may decrease the threshold for suicide ideation and impulsive behaviors. Studies that explore the effects of sociodemographic and health factors on random populations with relevant control data will increase the understanding of the causal connection between alcohol and violent deaths. SN - 0145-6008 UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/11707640/The_role_of_alcohol_in_accident_and_violent_deaths_in_Finland_ L2 - http://ovidsp.ovid.com/ovidweb.cgi?T=JS&amp;PAGE=linkout&amp;SEARCH=11707640.ui DB - PRIME DP - Unbound Medicine ER -